Darin A. Latimore, M.D., associate dean for student and resident diversity at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine has been tapped by Yale Medical School to be its inaugural chief of diversity beginning in January.

At UC Davis his vision for the Office of Student and Resident Diversity was to create an environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds feel included and respected, produce a physician workforce that reflects the diversity of the state of California, and achieve educational and clinical standards of cultural competence that ultimately will reduce health disparities and provide the best care for all patients.

To this end, he developed initiatives to increase the pipeline of socio-economically disadvantaged medical students, residents, and faculty and has spearheaded programs to support and empower underrepresented students who are interested in attending medical school. 

Dr. Latimore has been a member of the California Medical Association (CMA) and the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society (SSVMS) since 2000, serving in a number of leadership positions, including chair of CMA's Ethnic Medical Organization Section, chair of the Specialty Delegation to the CMA House of Delegates, vice-chair of the CMA Council on Legislation and a member of the SSVMS Board of Directors. He has also served on many local, state and national working groups dedicated to diversity, equal opportunity and medical education and has helped permanently change the face of California medical education.

Dr. Latimore is a strong supporter of organized medicine and encourages medical students and physicians to take an active role in organized medicine.

"It is so important for us to advocate both for our patients and for the practice of medicine. If physicians are not the voices for our patients—especially those who are voiceless—then their health as a whole will never improve," said Dr. Latimore. "Speaking to my colleagues: Remember, we really have a voice and we can help change the face of medicine.

Dr. Latimore's passion for promoting diversity and inclusion stems from his own background as one of the few African-Americans on campus and even fewer students from his socioeconomic background. After obtaining his medical degree at UC Davis School of Medicine and completing his residency in internal medicine at UC Davis Medical Center, he worked as a physician specializing in HIV care with The Permanente Medical Group in South Sacramento where he also trained medical students and residents. His transition to academic medicine began with his appointment as associate program director for the UC Davis internal medicine residency program.

Because many of the students and residents with whom he worked shared his experiences of isolation and discrimination, he wrote a job description that led to his inaugural position as director of medical student diversity at UC Davis in 2008.

Through his work at UC Davis, Dr. Latimore helped expand the definition of diversity beyond African-American, Hispanic, and Native American individuals to include underrepresented Asian-American groups and individuals who are economically disadvantaged.

Today, under his tutelage, close to half of UC Davis medical students fall into one of these diverse categories.

In his new role at Yale, Dr. Latimore will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive plan for furthering diversity, equity and inclusion at the school, including a robust recruitment, development, and retention program.

The California Medical Association (CMA) congratulates Dr. Latimore on his new role at Yale and thanks him for his work with us on behalf of our physician members and the medical students of California.

"Dr. Latimore has been an inspiration to all California physicians and medical students," said CMA President Ruth Haskins, M.D. "We all are so proud of his new appointment and wish him the best. We will miss his presence, and we pledge to keep his passion for diversity and inclusion an ongoing priority within the California Medical Association."